KNIGHTS players and staff are rallying around Pasami Saulo as the full impact of a horrific leg injury that is likely to end the young forward's season sinks in.
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Saulo suffered a dislocated left ankle and fractured fibula playing NSW Cup for Newcastle against Canberra in Wagga on Saturday.
The 22-year-old was taken by ambulance to Wagga Wagga Base Hospital, where his ankle was stabilised so that he could fly home with his teammates.
He is facing surgery and months of physio and rehabilitation before he is cleared to resume playing.
"I'm really feeling for Pasami," Knights coach Adam O'Brien said.
"He's worked hard and was getting his minutes up and starting to push his way into the team as a key rotation forward, so we're all really disappointed for him."
Saulo, a Maitland junior and 2016 Australian Schoolboys representative, debuted for the Knights in 2018 and has played in 15 top-grade games, all off the bench, including two this year.
Last season the towering prop's game time was restricted to seven appearances off the bench in the NRL, after the NSW Cup shut down because of coronavirus.
Contracted until the end of 2022, Saulo had been hoping this would be a breakthrough season in which he made the transition from fringe first-grader to regular member of O'Brien's squad.
Instead he has joined an injury list that already includes Mitchell Pearce (pectoral), Blake Green (rib), Hymel Hunt (hamstring) and Edrick Lee (foot).
A rib injury that winger Brayden Musgrove suffered late in Saturday's 24-16 win against the Raiders has placed further strain on O'Brien's outside-back resources.
Hunt and Lee are both close to resuming but it remains to be seen if they can prove their fitness for Friday night's Magic Round opener against Wests Tigers at Suncorp Stadium.
If they were both out and Musgrove, the four-game rookie from Cessnock, joined them on the sidelines, O'Brien would be left with limited options.
Gehamat Shibasaki or Tex Hoy could potentially fill in as stopgap wingers but other candidates appear few and far between.
Whoever plays on Newcastle's left flank faces the daunting assignment of containing Tigers veteran David Nofoaluma, one of the NRL's best finishers.
Nofoaluma scored the match-winning try when the Tigers upset the Knights 24-20 at McDonald Jones Stadium in round three.
The Knights will be in no mood for a repeat slip-up as they chase back-to-back victories and a possible position in the top eight.
